


Abberation

by ineedhelpwithmylifern



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Multi, swap au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2019-09-29 03:47:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17195918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineedhelpwithmylifern/pseuds/ineedhelpwithmylifern
Summary: With her brother taken, Nya is given the elemental power of fire and is thrust into a team of three other ninjas in order to stop Garmadon from getting the golden weapons.This is not the Ninjago you know and love.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It seems as if you clicked on my fic,,,,, lol
> 
> Hey! This AU is kinda big and kinda a mess, but ima try and make it work.
> 
> It's gonna follow the main storyline of the show loosely, with character swaps, thrown in headcanons, and some shipping... Some chapters will be based around episodes, and some will not. A big what-if fic lol.
> 
> But! Anyways, this will be a fun trip all in all! I will enjoy it, and I hope you will too~

Nya sat by the house, her hair blowing in the breeze. Her brother, Kai, was attempting to make a sword inside, and she didn't want to be in there when he failed.

Kai could be a little hotheaded sometimes, and Nya didn't want to deal with him at the time. 

She was much calmer in some situations compared to him, and she both was proud of that yet she still envied him. He had a determination that was different than hers- special, odd. 

She waited for the clang of the metal to stop in the house before walking in. There was Kai, with a bent up sword in his hand.

"Kai, you made it way too quickly." Nya laughed, watching his expression. "You need to be patient. If father was here-" She knew he didn't want to talk about  _him,_ but-

"I know. No matter how much fire you have, experience isn't something you learn overnight. Nya, that might be something that works for you, but not for me."

"I could help-" She offered, brushing some hair out of her face. 

"Why would you need to? I've got it." Kai sneered, putting the sword back into the heat so he could re-shape it. "I'm good on my own."

Nya glared at him. "Then I'll make one as well."

"Mine will still be better." He remarked as she began her own weapon. Nya simply stuck her tongue out at him as she began on the handle.

An old man walked into the shop and picked up a helmet. Observing it, he said, " Your metal is loud and heavy. Useful to slow one down. Useless in the art of stealth. All tools for a samurai-" He hummed,  "But nothing for a ninja."

Nya looked up at the old man as Kai laughed. "A ninja? You're a long way from finding a ninja in these parts of Ninjago." He frowned. "Also- this place is called ' _Four Weapons_ ,' not ' _For Browsing_.' So, buy something or take your mangy insults somewhere else." The boy turned around, going back to his sword.

"Hmm..." The old man shrugged. "I thought I would find some talent here, but nevermind."

"Kai!" Nya hissed, slapping his arm.

Her older brother startled before slowly turning and "Sorry- If it's something special that you are looking for, let me-"

She gasped quietly "He's... gone."

Kai narrowed his eyes, going back to his sword. "Whatever."

Nya rolled her eyes at him, walking outside to see where the man had gone off to. Before she knew it, the sky had immediately grown dark. She squinted at the clouds, noticing a large truck speeding toward them. She ran into the shop to grab a weapon.

"What are you doing?" Her brother looked at her as she drew a sword from one of the buckets.

"There's something on the horizon, and I should be prepared," Nya stated quickly. She ran out with the weapon in hand, armor on just in case.

"What?" Kai screeched back at her. Nya was already smacking skeletons on their heads with the sword she wielded. Her brother appeared in an instant, pushing her back. "I've got this, now stay out of the way."

"Hey!"

They fought off a few skeletons, Nya actually holding her own against them. But, it wasn't long before Kai's cocky attitud got him into trouble, getting him into a fight against a four-armed skeleton.

Nya was about to jump in and help him before a golden tornado came and attacked the skeleton. An odd sight. 

"Ninja go!" The old man was in the tornado. She had heard some sort of tale about this type of power before, but it was always vague and small.

"Sensei Wu!" The skeleton seemed surprised at the man's appearance. "Your spinjitzu looks rusty!"  _Was that what is was?_

"Nothing like bone to sharpen it's edge,  _Samukai._ "

A pair of skeletons began yelling that they had found something behind the sign of the shop. A map.

Samukai simply scoffed after grabbing the map, hitting the nearby water tower so it would fall down and hit Kai. Thankfully, the old man, presumably named Wu, threw her brother out of the way just in time.

The four armed one glared at him before running back into his truck. "Lord Garmadon says take the girl!" 

An arm reached out from the truck to grab Nya. She closed her eyes in preparation, there was no escape.

Nothing happened.

She opened her eyes to see that the arm hadn't gotten her.

Kai had jumped in front of it and now  _he_ was captured. "Kai!"

"Nya!" He yelled back as the truck drove away with her brother.

"Lord Garmadon?" Wu mumbled, seeming shocked.

"My brother! Are we not going to do anything about him? He was just taken!"

"I told you-" The old man had picked up her helmet that had fallen off. "Useless." He tossed it down to the ground before her eyes.

"So we aren't going to talk about Kai? Y'know you could have saved him with your  _Spinjitzu_ , was it?"

"Spinjitzu, yes, but I had saved him before. He sacrificed himself for you."

"But! We have to get him back! He's my brother, I mean-" Nya huffed. "I'm going!"

"Where they go, a mortal cannot. That was Samukai, king of the Underworld. And if it's true that he's carrying orders for Lord Garmadon, then I fear things are much worse than I ever thought." Wu grabbed her arm and looked her in the eye.

"Lord Garmadon? Underworld? What would  _we_ have that is so important that they want? Why would they want Kai?"

The old man began on a tangent. "What's so important? How about everything in Ninjago itself?" Nya froze in her spot. "Long before time had a name, Ninjago was created by the First Spinjitzu Master, by using the Four Weapons of Spinjitzu! The Scythe of Quakes, the Nunchucks of Lightning, the Shurikens of Ice and the Sword of Fire! Weapons so powerful, no one can handle all of their power at once." The man's face and voice grew solumn. "When he passed away, his two sons swore to protect them, but the oldest was consumed by darkness and wanted to possess them. A battle between brothers broke out and the oldest was struck down and banished to the Underworld. Peace returned and the younger brother hid the weapons, but knowing his older brother's relentless ambition for power, he placed a guardian to protect them." The girl knew that this story had some relevance. "And for fear of his own demise, a map for an honest man to hide. That honest man was your father. The older brother is Lord Garmadon and I need to find those weapons before he does."

"Wait..." Nya paused to think. "Does that mean that you're the..."

"Yes, I am the younger brother, son of the First Spinjitzu Master."

"Am I supposed to believe you-?"

"I did the art of Spinjitzu in front of you what do you think?"

"Sorry. But does that mean you came here for that map as well?"

"No. I came for something for much greater." Wu sighed. "You."

"W-what?" Nya stuttered, "Why me?"

"Nya. Since my brother cannot enter his realm, it's obvious he has struck a deal with Samukai. If he were to collect all four weapons, even I would not be able to stop him again. But you, you have the will and strength of fire. I will train you to harness it. Use it. To become a Spinjitzu Master."

"Firstly, how do you know my name, and secondly, what? Me? A spinjitzu master? That's odd. But-"

"What? Do you think you will save your brother by yourself? Go to the Underworld? No. You will come and train with me at my Monastery."

"Oh-" Nya blinked. "But will we-"

"Yes. Now, let's go."

"W-what? So I just follow some old man to his monastery- right?- just to save my brother? That's a little far-fet-"

"You ask too many questions. Now, like I said, let's go." Wu began walking.

"Hey! Wait! I never even told you if I was coming or not!"

...

"How are you not tired?" The stairs had begun to tire Nya out, but the old man seemed to be unfazed by the high climb. She knew she was reaching the top, but it was enough as it was to work with.

Wu gave her no answer, just continuing up the stairs.

Soon enough, they where at the top, standing before the doors. Nya waited as he opened the doors, leading them into the courtyard, where a simple statue stood.

"What's this going to do?"

"Just wait." Wu pressed a button, bringing up quite a few training pieces.

"So, this is going to teach me the spinning move?"

"Perhaps." The old man was now sitting at the other side. "You must finish the course before I finish my tea. Then we will learn when you are ready." He drank his tea. "Today you have failed. We will continue tomorrow."

Nya gave him an odd look as he retreated into one of the rooms.

...

After a few days, and many,  _many_ fails, the girl had finally passed the training, Wu happy with her. He nodded to her. "Good job."

"Now-" Nya brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "When will I learn-"

"You already have. Now, go get some sleep. Your final test will come tomorrow."

...

Nya stood in front of her mirror, brushing her teeth. Her final test was  _tomorrow._  The anxiety was enough as it was. She sighed, fixing her hair once more. "Well, at least I'm closer to helping Kai. That's your one goal Nya. Your one goal." 

Her quiet chanting to herself made her forget to pay attention to her surroundings. She didn't notice the first ninja clad in black drop down behind her. She didn't notice the second one either. It wasn't until the third one dropped down in front of her that she realized that she had a problem.

"Oh no."

The ninja that  _had a scythe_  glared at her, taking a swing. She narrowly dodged, going in and punching them. They staggered back, giving Nya a hot second to climb up on the sink and into the rafters. The other two followed behind her quick, the one with nun-chucks gaining on her quick before she stopped, surprising them.

They fell into the room below. Now, the third one, the one that had shurikens, was closer. Nya found a way through the roof, escaping into the training yard. The three ninja were now out there too, now if she could just-

The one with nunchucks tackled her, the others close behind. She screeched, and punched one of them. She didn't know what one.

"Stop!" A voice yelled from the doorway.

The three of them stopped, leaving Nya on the ground. "Yes, Sensei."

She sat up. "What? Are- are they your students too?" Standing up, she gasped quietly. "This was my final test-"

Wu gave a curt nod, earning a shout from the middle ninja, the one with nunchucks. "What? Whoa whoa, whoa-" Nya winced. "You never said anything about a fourth! There's always three- three blind mice, three musketeers, three-"

The one that held the scythe stopped him. "What I think what Jay's trying to say is that we're solid. The three of us. We don't need another member, much less a girl."

Nya gasped. "A girl? Is that why you don't-" She was cut off when the one to her left yelped, having been punched in the arm by the one to her right, Jay.

She could have sworn that the boy had hissed something about being nice to girls, whether or not you see them in good way. And, that was a surprise.

"Master, what is the meaning of this.?" The one who had been quiet the whole time spoke up. His voice was cool and calm, a contrast to the squeaky voice of the one next to her.

"Each of you- even you-" Wu gestured to Nya, "Have been chosen. Each of you are in tune with elemental properties. But, first," He smirked. "Ninja Go!" The old man used spinjitzu, spinning each of them, gaining new gis.

"What?" Nya looked down at her clothes, now a red color. "How- how did he do that? That isn't poss-"

"Woah!" Blue laughed, "Look what color I am!"

Black hummed in confusion. "But, I'm still black."

Wu ignored the comments to first walk of to Red. "Nya. Master of Fire. You are ambitious and keep going even when it gets tough." She smiled.  _That's cool, master of fire._ The old man went to Blue next. "Jay. Master of Lightning. Quick and fast as light."

"But!" Jay interrupted, "That's not all I'm the master of! I do some inventing, I test my hand in cooking, I do a bit of poetry-"

Black sighed. "More like 'Master of Blabber.'"

"Hey!" Blue squeaked, protesting.

"Black ninja is Cole. Master of earth, the foundation and rock of the team." Wu continued quickly.

"Nice to meet ya,  _darlin._ I got your back as well as the other two. And, for the record, there ain't nothing in this world that scares  _me._ " He took off his hood.

"Except for dragons." The ninja dressed in white spoke up.

"Dragons are not from our world, buddy."

"And, the white ninja is Zane. Master of ice. Sometimes a seer with a sixth sense." The old man backed up, watching them.

"Does he- what?" Nya sputtered, out confused.

"What, do you  _sense_  something wrong with our friend?" Cole's statement startled her.

"I-"

"Does she have the gift as well?" Zane asked, looking over to her.

Jay patted his shoulder. "No, Zane, Cole just made a joke. Sense of humor, don't you remember?"

"Oh! Yes! Ha, ha!" White smiled at Blue, who just sighed.

"Pay attention!" Wu yelled, gaining what he wanted. "You four are to be the chosen ones, the ones who will protect the weapons of spinjitzu... From Lord Garmadon."

Nya gasped. "Isn't that the person who-"

"Yes. the person who took your brother. He must be stopped." The old man stroked his beard. "But above all, the weapons must be kept from him.  _At all costs, no matter what._ "

"We're saving a guy?" Jay's eyes lit up. "Is he hot?"

Cole groaned. "Jay. Now is not the time to be gay."

"Hey! I just wanna know what we are getting ourselves into,  _Cole._ " Jay hummed before looking back over to Nya. "Does he like blue?"

"Please, not now."

Wu paused. "Once we find all four of the weapons, we will save your brother. But, as of now, it is time to go find the first weapon."

"Wait. Didn't you say we were going to learn spinjitzu?" Earth spoke up, watching.

"Spinjitzu is inside of each and every one of you. The only way for it to be unlocked is if you find the key." Wu sighed. "Come! My feet are tired. We shall take the horse carriage."

...

Nya listened to the others talk about how they had ended up with and had met Wu, joining the team as they pulled the carriage. 

It wasn't long until they arrived at the Caves of Despair, Wu pointing out their arrival.

"Samukai must be unearthing the Scythe of Quakes. Remember to not use the weapon. It's power is-"

Jay whined, "Yeah, yeah. Too much for some mortals like us. Anyways, we ready to destroy this place? Cole, is the plan ready?"

"Of course!" Cole hummed, "We go and- Where did she go?"

Nya was climbing down the mountain, her plan in her own eyes. Just get down this wall and hide. Wait for them then and get them to follow  _her_ plan. 

She positioned herself behind a rock, watching the skeletons work. "The map..." She whispered to herself, imagining grabbing it from them.

Soon the other three were by her. "What was the point in that?" Jay hissed, hesitantly slapping her arm. Red shushed him, making him look at Samukai. "Wait... Is he reading the map upside down?"

"Yeah..." Cole mumbled. "That means he's digging in the wrong spot..."

Zane threw a shuriken, retrieving the map. "Then, shall we find its true resting place, for it is near."

They all silently agreed, beginning their walk into the caves. There were plenty of twists and turns. Nya would have gotten herself lost if it wasn't for the others and the map.

It wasn't long until they reached the boulder that concealed the cave where the weapon was held. The four worked together to push the rock out of the way so they could enter the room.

"Woah..." Jay whispered, gazing at the golden object. "That's- That's amazing!"

"Don't be so loud," Cole hissed, gaining a reply of Blue rolling his eyes.

"We are at the other side of the caves. They aren't gonna hear us."

"Just- zip it okay?" Cole groaned, grabbing the scythe. "We have it now. We need to get going now. Just stick together and don't get caught."

They walked down the tunnels, making their way back. 

They grew quiet as Samukai and his army approached, having found them.

They began to fight, Jay taking over the battling, the others keeping the scythe safe.

"Hey! Guys!" Jay yelled as he punched a skeleton, "It's just like the training course! You just gotta- Over the planks, dodge the sword, watch out for the dummy-!" Blue kept going, and with a laugh, he began to spin, successfully using spinjitzu.

After a few tries, each of them, including Nya, were using the move, taking out the skeletons one by one. They scattered, Samukai having called the order to retreat.

"Hah! We did it!" Jay laughed.

"Guess they didn't want to mess with these babies." Cole chuckled, kissing his biceps. Jay looked at Nya and fake gagged. "Good to know that they didn't check for the scythe in the back-" He turned around, growing silent.

Blue and Red high-fived, celebrating the victory just a bit too early.

"Guys... You may want to-" Black said, taking a step back.

White turned as well. "Didn't Sensei tell us about a Guardian of the weapon?"

"Is that- Zane, please tell me that isn't what I think it is... Is it?"

"Huh?" Jay turned quickly. "You mean a dragon? Cause that is what is right there!"

"That- that sure looks like a dragon..." Nya muttered.

"I do not think we will be able to spin out of  _this_ situation." Zane did as Cole did, walking back.

Nya grabbed the scythe, pointing it at the dragon.

"Nya. No, no. Bad idea. Very bad idea. Not good. Sensei specifically told us not to. Listen to him."

Red's eyes widened as she moved to put it down and stop, but it still fired off an earthquake. The dragon collapsed, looking hurt. "I-" She stuttered, "Let's go."

"We can use spinjitzu."

They escaped narrowly, returning to Wu quickly.

"That was.. So cool!!" Cole laughed, pumping an arm in the air.

"Yeah!" Nya cheered, "We are unbelievable!"

Jay was grinning. "Did you guys see that? I used spinjitzu-"

"Enough!" Wu cut the boy off, angry. "I told you  _not_ to use the weapon! And what did you do?"

Blue pointed at Nya. "Her fault!"

"What?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha, im sorry if its too close to the actual pilots, but it will derail more as it goes on lol
> 
> plot will still follow kinda similarly?
> 
> i honestly wanna skip parts, but hAh
> 
> Thank you!!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new chapter!!!
> 
> once again, sorry if its too close to canon, next chapter should be more in the middle of the pilots and s1, so fun with some stuff not in canon!!!

"I spy..." Jay trailed as rested his arms on the railing of the ship. "Something white!"

Cole groaned from behind him. "Could you just  _try_ to be quiet for once? Driving this damn ship isn't that easy."

Jay stuck his tongue out at him before looking back to the ice that formed the walls of the chasm. The boat struck something with a thud. Jay sighed. "I spy something  _broken._ "

Nya looked around. "Why isn't Sensei steering? I mean, he's the one who should know where the weapon in the first place!"

"Sensei's wisdom is beyond my own. I do not know why he is not. He most likely has a reason." Zane pondered quietly.

Wu began to speak from his spot. "The most powerful move in Spinjitzu can only be accomplished when all four elements are combined. Earth! Ice! Fire! Lightning!" He pointed at the four when their elements were mentioned.

"Uh," Jay started, "What happens when they combine? Something cool?"

"The Tornado of Creation. The ability to create something out of nothing." The old man stated.

Nya swung her arm and spun. "How do you-"

"No, Nya!" Their master warned, "If done incorrectly, it will lead to disastrous consequences."

"Oh-" She mumbled, looking at her hand.

The ship shook as if it hit something.

"Wasn't me." Cole shook his head, shrugging.

"Was it me?" Nya asked, her eyes wide.

"No. We are here."

...

They retrieved the shurikens of ice in no time, and soon collected the nunchucks of lightning as well. They were getting on well with the plan.

They had stopped in the forest of Tranquility, a fire crackling by them as they celebrated. Wu just sat and meditated. 

Nya smiled as they danced, looking to their master. "Sensei? Are you going to join us?"

"There is still one weapon that remains." He said, still meditating. "We must get our rest."

"C'mon Sensei," Jay whined, "You'd have to admit that we're totally kicking their boney butts!"

Nya giggled. "Why don't you come over and show us some moves?"

Wu hummed. "I guess I could..." The man stood up, ready to dance. "Now this move is very special..."

"You mean it could have disastrous consequences?" Zane asked quietly, not grasping the entire situation entirely. The others laughed.

"Zane," Nya started, "Did you find your sense of humor?" 

They danced around the fire for a while longer before all heading out to sleep.

...

"Nya..."

Something, or someone was whispering to her.

"Nya..."

She sat up to see Kai standing before her, his usual spiky gelled hair flattened and an absolute mess. Twigs were caught in it, knots were seen.

"Nya..."

"What? Kai?" She asked, standing to confront him.

He looked back with wide eyes. "I have to go." Her older brother began to run at a swift pace away from the camp.

Nya looked at Wu and her teammates for a second before chasing after her brother, dodging branches and leaves along the way. "Kai! Slow down!" He still ran on. "Come on! Wait! Why are you running so fast?" 

Making her way through a bush, she looked around. "Kai? Where are you?" It was a moment before she spotted a temple, not unlike the others. She walked up to the entrance, going through the door to see her brother. "Kai!"

"Don't worry," He grinned. "I'm right here,  _sister..._ " The image of her brother morphed into the shadow of another, one that Nya wasn't ready to see.

"G-garmadon..." She sputtered out, stepping back.

"Did you forget something, little girl?"

"I-I thought you were trapped in the underworld, not able to get out... How would you even-"

"That's a good question... But, that is also why you must retrieve the sword of fire for me..."

"I would never!"

"Are you sure~?" The shadow of Garmadon vanished, but a new thing appeared.

"Nya!" Kai yelled from his new place. Her brother was hanging from the ceiling, tied up with a rope. He was dangling over the lava, his eyes wide.

"Kai!" She yelled back, looking for anything to cut him down.

"If you don't remove the sword-"  

"I don't need to!" Nya yelled, "I'll find a way!"

Garmadon laughed. "If you say so." Kai was lowered closer to the lava, his struggling increasing.

"I got this! I'll be okay!" He yelled, moving, but ending up only swinging the rope and in the process, swinging himself. "Okay! Help!"

"Kai!" Nya yelled, running her hand through her hair as she panicked, eyes darting around the room.

Garmadon's voice resounded through the room. "Tick tock, tick tock..."

Nya glared at the disembodied voice and went against her better judgement. She dashed up the side of the rocks, used her spinjitzu and grabbed the sword. She cut her brother down, the two landing at the side of the room.

Garmadon's laugh cut through the room.

"Kai, stay close." Nya said, holding the sword in front of her. She trembled as she waited for the voice to return. She had to protect her brother as he had so many times.

"If you want..." Kai stood behind her. "But I'm still going to fight." She could tell he was shaking, but she paid no mind to it.

"You can't hurt us!" Red yelled, her eyes darting around. "You're just a shadow.!"

"Even shadows have their uses..." A shadow appeared in front of them, almost in the shape of...

"Nya!" Her brother yelled, "Watch out!"

She dodged a kick. "Stay back." Making a move toward the shadow, she swung the sword at it. It dodged, hitting Nya, sending her flying back.

"That- that isn't fair!" Kai yelled, jumping forward and attempting to hit it, only being hit against the wall.

"Oh? Am I being too hard?" Garmadon asked, chuckling. More clones of Nya appeared, all poised and ready to attack.

Nya shook, the sword gripped in her hands as she stepped backwards. One of the clones struck her, taking the sword happily.  _She had failed._ She didn't notice she was nearing the edge, growing closer to the lava. She slipped, falling backwards-

"Nya." Kai whispered, having grabbed her hand. "I got you." As he pulled her up, she saw the clone being struck down by none other than Wu, who took the blade back.

"Brother. I see you still protect one..." The voice began, "But where are the others?"

"They're safe from your grasp,  _Garmadon._ " Wu said, holding it tight.

"Don't be so sure..." A vision appeared in front of the three, showing the team defeated, the Skullkin having the weapons in hand.

Wu grumbled. "We must not let my brother unite the four weapons!" He clenched the sword. "We must keep them apart!"

"Awaken, guardian of the deep!" Garmadon roared, "They're stealing the sword! You must not let them escape!"

The fire dragon emerged from the lava, roaring at them. The sensei quickly jumped up onto its head. Angered, the dragon closed off the entrance, trapping them in.

"There's no way out!" Kai yelled, "He's taken all our options-"

"All but one." Wu jumped onto a rock that was narrowly attached to the surrounding ground, raising the Sword of Fire.

"Sensei?" Nya sputtered, "What are you doing?"

Wu cut the rock, making it float through the lava.

"No!" Garmadon screeched, "You fool!"

"If he is to bring the other weapons here, then I will take the Sword of Fire to the . It is my sacrifice to pay..." Wu hummed, sitting down and drinking a cup of tea. 

"No! It's mine. I shouldn't have come on my own. You don't have to do this! There has to be another way!" Nya gasped as the rock slid down into the underworld with Wu on it. "Sensei! No!"

"Then I will see you there,  _brother..._ " Garmadon hissed, his shadow going where Wu had fallen moments ago.

"Oh my gosh-" Red felt tears on her face. "This is all my fault, if I hadn't have-"

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Nya, it's okay." Kai whispered, "But, what about us?"

"What?"

Kai pointed an accusing finger at the dragon behind them.

"Oh."

...

Cole banged on the door of the Fire Temple. It was closed and sealed, unable to be opened. "Nya!" He yelled at the entrance, worriedly.

"The Sword of Fire was here, as well our friends, but I only sense loss." Zane mumbled, his eyes downcast. "We are too late. The elemental weapons have left this realm and are now in the Underworld. The end is drawing near."

The earth ninja groaned, stopping. "Great, the one place no mortal can cross over..."

"We might not be able to cross over..." Nya's voice was heard through the door before it opened to reveal her, Kai, and the fire dragon. "But a dragon can."

Cole shriekedquea, jumping back. Jay gasped. "Really? Oh my First Spinjitzu Master!"

"Our father told us tons of stories about dragons when we were younger-" Kai began.

Nya cut him off continuing. "They are creatures that can travel between both worlds. They live in between. They come from one that is bigger than our world and the Underworld both."

"Are you two insane?" Cole squeaked from his place, hidden behind a pillar.

"Actually," Red started, rubbing the dragon's head. "He became quite nice when he realized we were trying to protect the Sword of Fire." The dragon headbutted her lightly. "Hey!"

Jay had inched himself closer to Kai, who gave him an odd look.

"What do you want?"

Blue looked away bashfully before mumbling something.

"Huh?"

Zane narrowed his eyes. "I'm assuming he wants to know if you like the color blue."

Jay flushed brightly. "Y-yes!"

"Kai?" Nya asked quietly, ignoring the lightning ninja.

"This will be a goodbye for a while, won't it?" Her brother mumbled, earning a curt nod from Nya. "Then you had better come back safe. I don't know if I trust these  _friends_  of yours quite yet, but if you trust em, I guess I'll have to. I personally don't want to tend to the shop all by myself, you're some help."

The girl rubbed her arm. "I won't be gone for long, and yeah. I trust them. They will help us as well..."

"I will keep a candle lit for you until you return."

...

After collecting the rest of the dragons, they flew, trying to figure out how to cross over.

"Okay, not so fast-" Cole shook, standing on the dragon. "Agh!"

"Woo-hoo!" Jay yelled, throwing his hands in the air as if he were on an amusement park ride. "This is awesome!!!"

"This is quite fun," Zane stated, holding on to his dragon. "Jay, you are correct."

"So-" Earth yelled over the wind, "How do they even cross between realms in the first place?"

"We're about to find out!" Nya laughed as the dragons began to descend, spinning and growing closer to the ground. 

After a few more moments of spinning (and Cole whining), the dragons landed in a completely different place, the quiet unsettling.

Red, White, and Blue landed quickly on their feet to the ground, Black sliding off his dragon and faceplanting. "Solid ground!"

The dark place was almost unseeable, the darkness closing in on them. The only source of light was emanating from a nearby temple. The skullkin's vehicles sat there, parked, waiting for action if needed.

Zane was the first to notice it. "Sensei is there." He pointed, his voice calm. 

"They'll be expecting us..." Nya hissed. 

"We have to go, though..." Jay rubbed his arm, his eyes distant-looking. "We can't just sit idly by after we've gotten so far..."

"Let's go." Cole stated, beginning the walk. The others followed behind.

They crept around the camping skullkin, making sure they were unseen. Much to the group's dismay, Jay had tripped and fallen, attracting the unwanted attention of the skeletons. 

"Ninja!" One screeched, the collection of bone creatures surrounding the ninja in seconds. Each of them were armed, closing in on the ninja every second.

"Uh oh..." Nya muttered, putting her hand sup in self defense, getting read to attack if very well need be. "Does- does anyone have a plan?" She drew her sword, hitting a skeleton. "C'mon, I'm very much ready to work with any plan I am given here, lay it on me-"

Jay mumbled something while Cole struck a skullkin back, drowning his voice out. A few spykor dangled from the ceiling above.

"What was that Jay?" Zane's cool voice hummed.

The blue ninja mumbled several times more before finally saying out loud what he needed to say. "Tornado of creation!"

The black ninja shuddered. "Do you know what sensei said? Remember? Disastrous consequences? Yeah, I do."

"But, if we don't at least try, we're going to be dead!" Nya hissed, slashing at another skeleton.

Cole was silent for a moment before sighing. "Then let's try!" He spun into his spinjitzu, "Earth!"

"Fire!" Nya yelled, emerging into her own. 

"Ice!" Zane joined in, his spinjitzu ready.

"Lightning!" Jay was last but it was in due time. 

"Ninja go!" The spinjitzu combined, the colors and powers melding, a larger tornado beginning to form. It sucked in everything around it, collecting as much as it could. As it faded away, the ninja were on their way closer to the temple, and the skullkin were trapped on a ferris wheel created by them.

"That was awesome!" Jay laughed as they ran, their footsteps echoing in the dark of the almost cave-like terrain.

Cole joined in, "We got 'em good!"

Nya only pressed on. "We have to keep going. We can't waste any more time."

They arrived at the temple, pushing through the doors. The room was silent except for the sounds of the battle going on down below. Wu and Samukai were fighting with the golden weapons, Garmadon watching them from a distance.

"We have to help-" Lightning spoke, but was cut off by fire.

"No. This is sensei's battle."

Wu was using the sword of fire, cutting down the attacks from Samukai. The old man blasted a shot of fire, but missed, leaving him open to attack. Using the other three weapons, the skeleton disarmed him, gaining the advantage to control the sword.

Garmadon spoke from his throne. "Bring me the four weapons."

"No!" Samukai glared at the other brother, "You will obey  _me_ now!" He grabbed all four of the weapons at once, ready to gain their power.

Wu quickly jumped up to to the platform with his students. "No one can handle the power of all four golden weapons at once. It will be too much for him."

"Selfish fool!" Garmadon laughed, "Did you not think I would have planned for your betrayal?"

Samukai began to shake. "What- what's happening to me?"

"You've fallen right into my master plan,  _skeleton._ " He chuckled, "Not even I can handle all of their power! But now that they're combined, it'll create a vortex through space and time, allowing me to finally escape this ghastly place!"

The skeleton leader froze. "Uh oh..." He vanished, creating a portal.

Wu spoke up. "Brother, our Father would never want you to do this..."

"Father is no longer here." Garmadon hissed. "Good and evil, there has always been some sort of balance, but where I go- where I will be- is a place that I can destroy that balance. Soon enough, I will be able to control the power of all four weapons and I will recreate Ninjago in  _my_ image!" He stepped closer to the portal, a melancholy look on his face. "Either way, you were always his favorite." He disappeared through the vortex, it closing behind him.

Wu jumped down, the team following and collecting the weapons. 

"He'll be back." The old man sighed, "However long he may be gone, he will return."

"Then," Nya hummed, "We will be ready for him! We will be ready for whatever he brings."

Cole crossed his arms. " _And,_ we'll keep an eye out just in case he descides to come back too soon with new evil plans."

Each of them grabbed the weapon of their element, each embellishing the glow and personality of each ninja.

"Then I have done my part." Wu smiled, "The balance has been restored. At least, for now."

...

"Nya!" Kai yelled as they approached the Blacksmith's shop, hugging his little sister tightly. "You're back, safe and sound!"

"I told you it would be okay!" She mumbled into his shoulder before a certain blue ninja poked her.

"Could I have a turn?"

She nodded playfully as the boy enveloped Kai in a big hug, earning a giggle from the girl. Hee brother seemed surprised, but not annoyed.

Afterwards, Kai smiled, "I'm just happy you're okay. And that we all aren't dead. As long as you'r back and safe, everything will be fine."

"For now, at least," Nya sighed, "Lord Garmadon will return and we don't know when."

"But we'll be ready!" Cole laughed as he wrapped his arms around the siblings.

"Yeah!" Jay clapped, a slight blush dusting his cheeks. "And he won't stand a chance against us!"

"Never." Zane hummed, standing by Jay.

The group exchanged high fives, relishing the moment. For all they knew, it could be a while until Garmadon returned, but it could also be sooner than anyone expected. And that was what it was going to be like.

...

In a nearby village, a little boy clenched his fist, angered with what was going on around him. His father as nowhere to be seen, his mother had left him at the stupid boarding school, and he couldn't get any candy. Nope. No candy.

None at all.

He had run for the- how many was it at this point? 5? yeah- fifth time from Darkley's and every time he was brought back. He just didn't want to be there.

He wanted to find his father.

From what he had heard, the man was now in a different realm, but could come back at any time he wanted. So, what if he wasn't there when his father returned?

My, what a disappointment he would be.

So, he traveled as far as he could from the school to find villages he could find him in. Maybe he would appear in this very one soon?

But, alas, there was no one there but a few townsfolk and a girl around his age weaving flowers into her pale blond hair.

His father wouldn't be here.

At least, not for a long while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agh, that took a lot of work considering how much i procrastinated hfuyhdugrhidruhg;
> 
> uhhhHHHH
> 
> i hope to write more soon lol this was fun
> 
> i actually have a discord server server kinda, so like, if anyone wants to watch me procrastinate with some buddies or work out ideas, im willing to give out an invite!!!
> 
> just message me or comment for it lol ^^
> 
> see you guys later fhurdhffdukhil


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heres a chapter thats in between pilots and s1 fdiufhd
> 
> reminder that lloyd and rumi are still pretty much children here

****The blond boy shrieked as the girl from earlier tapped his shoulder. "What was that for?"

She blinked slowly, examining his face. "Who are you?" Her pale hair was filled with flowers, her eyes an emerald green.

He crossed his arms. "It's none of your business."

"Where are your parents?"

"I don't know..."

She cocked her head in confusion then pressed a finger to her lips in thought. "Why wouldn't you know where your own parents are?" Before he could answer, the girl gasped. "Your eyes... They're red..."

"Yeah? Why does that matter.?" 

"Oh. I thought it was interesting!" She giggled, clapping her hands. "My name is Rumi!"

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Lloyd."

"Lloyd!" She smiled, fixing her hair. "Would you like some flowers?" He shrugged, the girl only taking one from her own hair and placing it in his. "There!" 

"What's the point in this?"

"I dunno, but it's fun!"

He hummed, looking around the village, making sure no one was there. "Do you know who Garmadon is?" He whispered, taking the flower out of his hair.

"You mean the scary dude that those ninjas defeated?" Rumi asked, her brows furrowed in concentration. "He's gone now, right?"

"He's in a different realm!" Lloyd protested then sighed. "He's my father."

"Really?" Her eyes widened. "That's why you didn't know where your parents were!"

"I-"

"Is your mama there too?"

"My  _mom_ left me at a stupid school." He groaned, but perked up. "But  _I escaped!_ I got out of that awful place. That's why I'm here!"

"Oh really? Cool!" Rumi covered her mouth and stood. "You're here because you escaped? But why here? Cause this place isn't that special, because that is why we will be leaving for Ninjago City soon! I can't wait to see what it's like!

"I mean, I love it here, but the city is supposed to be big! It'll be so cool! Have you seen the city yet? I want to know- Wait no. I want to be surprised." Her eyes were big, her excitement showing. "But is it cool?"

"I've only been there once, but I guess it's cool... And, I'm here cause I think my father may end up here. If he returns to this world and I'm not here, what will happen?"

The girl frowned. "What if he appears somewhere else though?"

Lloyd opened his mouth then closed it. That made sense. He  _did_ just come to one of the nearer villages... "Do you mean..?"

"That he could be in a different village? Maybe..." She hummed. "Maybe he could end up in Ninjago City?"

"Maybe, but that's-"

"He could!" She giggled, "Maybe my mama and papa could bring you with us! You could find him! You could find  _your_ papa!!" Her eyes were glowing with excitement. "Maybe-"

"Harumi!" A voice called, "Come in, time for lunch!" 

"Comin', Mama!" She yelled back then looked to Lloyd. "I'll tell her that you want to come with us. Is that fine?"

"Sure, I-"

"Okay!" She smiled, running toward the direction of where the yell came from originally.

...

"I made a sandwich for you." Harumi's mother stated as she set the plate in front of her daughter. "PB&J."

"My favorite!" She squeaked, picking it up and biting into it.

"Are you almost ready to go, darling? Do you have everything packed up and ready to go?"

"Yeah! I'm excited!"

"Good, we will be leaving tomorrow, remember that."

"Mhm!" She smiled, looking up. "Mama, there's a boy who is looking for his father outside. He says that he could appear from some realm any time soon! It's so cool!"

"Oh really?" The mother went back to doing the dishes but still listened. "Anything else.?"

"Yeah, his name is Lloyd, and his father is Garmadon, it's pretty cool! He has these bright red eyes as well!!"

Her mother stopped washing dishes. "What did you say, about his father?"

"His father? He said his father was Garmadon."

She had never seen her mother with that look on her face before.

...

Cole was the only one in the monastery when the call came in. Nya and Kai had gone out for lunch and Jay was with them. Zane and Master Wu had gone out to the library to look for a certain scroll.

So, yeah. Cole was alone. 

A call had come in around noon, something about Garmadon from a smaller village on the edge of Ninjago. It was an odd call, but he had to go check it out at least. He wouldn't attack, just get a view on what was happening. See if it was a false alarm. He didn't want to bother anyone.

His dragon was up and ready to go by the time he had gotten everything put together. He would just fly to the town and survey it quickly. If it was just a false alarm or it looked safe to land, he would go talk to the person to see what was wrong. If Garmadon actually  _was_  there, he would just call upon the other ninja. He would be able to get them there pretty quickly.

"Ready buddy?" Cole asked, placing the bag he had packed on the dragon's side, his scythe already attached to the saddle. He jumped up, getting himself strapped in.

It had taken him a bit to get used to the dragons, but after living with them and caring for them for a little while, he grew incredibly fond of them, especially his own, which he had lovingly nicknamed Rocky. 

The dragon roared and nodded in reply as Cole signaled he was ready. In seconds, they were off and flying over Ninjago.

The village was a little ways away, so he pushed his dragon a little faster than usual. Garmadon was  _not_ a throwaway threat, that was for sure. But, a false alarm was most likely at this point. It hadn't been too long.

As he approached the area, he scanned the grounds, making sure that there was no current threat. As of seeing nothing that could hurt him, he landed on a rocky outcropping that was enough to conceal his dragon.

"I'll be back buddy." Cole whispered, patting his dragon on the head and grabbing the scythe. He began his descent down the side of the cliff, making sure every foothold was safe. He reached the ground, sneaking into the village. The area was clear, except for a child, sitting with his knees held to his chest.

Before he could approach the kid, someone pulled him into a house. "Aah!"

"Shush..."

"Who is this? Garmadon?"

"No," The voice harshly whispered, turning on the light. It was an adult woman, a child clinging onto her leg. "That kid out there. Garmadon."

Cole narrowed his eyes, watching the woman intently. That kid couldn't be Garmadon... But she looked so worried, her eyes were wide. "What do you mean?"

"Mama doesn't like him because he has red eyes!" The girl chimed, her braids swaying. "He says he wants to find his father! That his father could return from the realm he is in at any moment!"

The earth ninja kneeled down to eye level in front of the girl. "Do you know who his father is?"

"He said it was Garmadon. His eyes are red, did you see them? He said he ran away from his school."

Cole rubbed his face through the mask, sighing. He stood. "Are there any schools around here?"

The mother hummed. "Other than the village schools? I think near one of the peaks around here is some school for bad boys, if that's what you'd be looking for." She ran a hand through her hair. "Are you going to take care of that kid?"

"It's my job right? You called for the ninja so I have to do  _something_ about it." He opened the door. "I will get him, it can't end up being  _that_ bad."

...

Okay, it was that bad. He had approached the kid, who was wearing an oversized hoodie, mind you, and tapped him on the shoulder.

That was his first mistake.

The kid has screeched and attacked him, toppling him over. It took a few moments, but they were off and running in seconds.

Cole decided to chase him. That was the second mistake.

Hoodie was fast.  _Really_ fast. He could duck in and out of corners really quickly. Especially compared to Cole.

The kid was out of the village in minutes, running across the landscape. And the ninja of earth was at full sprint behind him. But, Hoodie, once again, was getting farther away by the second. If Cole could just-

He grabbled the Scythe of Quakes from his back and hit the ground, propelling the kid into the air. Bad idea.

That was the third mistake.

Hoodie was now flying through the air, and if he were to land on the ground, he would be dead. And it was all Cole's fault.

He had to now save the kid. He stressed himself to reach where the kid was and to catch him. Luckily, he barely made it, the kid landing in his arms with an ' _oof.'_  

_The little girl was right._

His eyes were a bright, blood red. The kid practically  _hissed_  at him, revealing even fangs as well. Hoodie was scary to say the least. He had to keep a tight grip on the kid, as he was squirming a lot.

"Let me go!" He screeched.

"No, I hear you ran away from your school." Cole mumbled, throwing the kid over his shoulder. This wouldn't be that bad.

"Yeah! Cause it's stupid there!"

"You need to learn."

"Do not!"

"Do too."

They approached the mountainside where he had left Rocky. Cole whistled and the earth dragon flew down beside them. He ignored the screeches of the kid, only throwing him on the saddle and taking off.

...

"You're no fun! Why are you taking me back to this stupid place?!" The kid screeched as they approached the school.

The earth ninja only rolled his eyes, knocking on the door. A little kid answered, only to dash away. It was a few moments before an adult looked through the entrance, glaring. "What do you want?"

"I think I brought back a pupil of yours." Cole hummed, putting the boy on the ground.

" _Lloyd Garmadon..."_  The person hissed, "Get back in here. You had better stop running away or your punishments will be worse." They looked to Cole. "He's back. Where was he?"

"A small village not too far away." He mumbled.

"Of course. I'll remember to check there next time." The door was slammed. 

"Not even a thank you." He grumbled, hopping back on his dragon. "Lloyd... C'mon Rocky, let's go."

...

"So, Cole, how was it here alone?" Jay spoke. "Y'know you could've come with us, right?"

"I had to stay behind just in case a call came in." Cole laid back on the couch, covering his face with his hands.

"But did we  _actually_  get a call?"

"Yeah."

"What?!" Blue screeched, flailing his arms and almost falling backwards. "What was it? Why didn't you tell m- us!? Cole!"

"It was just a false alarm. Kinda. A kid ran away from some school for bad boys." He shrugged, "Scared a few townspeople."

"Oh." Jay tapped his cheek, "Why did he scare them?"

"The kid was pretty spooky, I mean, his eyes were  _blood red._ " Cole left out the part about him being Garmadon's son for now. Was it even true? "When I caught him he literally hissed at me. Almost had fangs as well."

"Oh my god-" 

"Yeah, he was hard to catch. I got him back to his school though. Hopefully he won't run away again."

Jay nodded quietly. "Hopefully. I don't want to deal with this kid, seems scary."

"Yeah. How was your date with Kai~?"

The lightning ninja's face went bright red, "It wasn't a date! Nya was there too!"

"Oh really?"

"It wasn't a date, Cole!"

" _It wasn't a date, Jay!_ " Cole mimicked, a smirk on his face.

Jay threw his arms in the air. "Not funny!" He stormed out of the room, leaving Cole alone.

The earth ninja sighed, fully laying back. He covered his face and crossed his legs. He would ret for now. If they got another call, it'd be okay.

...

Cole had begun to see the child around a lot more. He would start answering the phone and asking if the problem was a kid in a hoodie with blond hair. 

If it was, he'd say that he would get the call, everything was fine. He would then go and retrieve the poor kid and return him to the school.

But, every time he returned Lloyd to Darkley's, the boy would be slower and more sluggish each time, more sad. The few people that would answer the door were getting more annoyed with him every time.

Maybe Cole could help the poor kid with what was happening.

Was Lloyd okay?

And was this school even good for him?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so there's that!!! this was fun to do lol
> 
> i don't know if i'm doing to do another chapter before i start work on s1, but we'll see
> 
> I hope to throw it together soon tho :3)))


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am really sorry for this chapter taking so long, its been sitting for a bit unedited and after adding a bit more, i've decided that you guys should probably get something soon and not have to wait for me to figure out plot problems
> 
> i am beginning work on the next chapter as this is posted, so hopefully you won't have wait another 3 and a half months, heh

Lloyd had done this plenty of times. He was tired of this stupid school and he needed to get away. But the stupid ninja of earth kept bringing him back. Why him? Every time that someone noticed he had escaped, the darn elemental would bring him back. Didn't he know that Lloyd wanted to be free, away from Darkely's, the place was too much. Sure, it trained him to be evil, but-

He shook the thought out of his head as he climbed out the window, a determined look in his eyes. He slid down the rain gutter, his decision clear. He would make his way to Jamanakai village and wait for Garmadon there. It was a bit of a longer trip, but it couldn't be that bad. He could use fear like his father did to get some food, at least. He glanced around the corner before beginning his descent down the mountain.

The moon hung above him as he walked down the stairs, silently wishing that he had brought a coat with him. It was slowly dipping into winter as time went on, and it was colder every time he snuck out of his boarding school. Soon, the first snows would be falling, as he heard a few of the teachers talking earlier in the day. The winters in Darkely's were horrendous. It was hard to seek warmth in the coldest of nights, as the small place may have had electricity, but the heating had gone out of order in most rooms long ago. Only the teacher's quarters and a few classrooms had that precious heating to keep them warm. Students would huddle and sleep in a classroom instead of their sleeping quarters.

They didn't have the best life there. His  _mother_ had made a bad decision in leaving him there. Lloyd rubbed his arms, picking up his pace. He would find a warmer place to hide out soon, otherwise, he could freeze. He knew of a few places on this hill, but he should at least get to the bottom before he stopped, as he didn't want to be caught. He knew this could possibly end up better in the long run.

...

Lloyd awoke to the chill of the morning and some discomfort in how he was laying down. He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he yawned. He didn't remember coming in here, he must've been pretty cold and/or tired to have forgotten. A slight breeze was blowing through, carrying in a colder chill. He pulled on the sleeves of his sweatshirt, standing. 

The hollow he had found had somewhat kept him safe from the wind, but not the best. There were better spots he knew of, but this must have been the best choice at the time. He stepped out, noticing the morning chill was due to one reason. The snowfall had begun. Flecks of snow had begun to fall from the sky, framing the light visible. They were right. Winter  _was_ coming early this year. Not fun.

The grass was frosted over, so it crunched under his feet as he walked on it. What way was Jamanakai again? He looked to the side, seeing the massive hill with the school on it quite a ways away, so he must be going the right way. He remained on course, making his point clear in his mind. He could make t before the storm got too bad if he was quick enough, it was just a test of his abilities.

Yeah.

He had heard from other students that the kids that made it past Jamanakai village never returned. And Lloyd wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but as long as he could get away, everything could be just fine in the long run. He could be safe and he could wait for his father to return. Maybe he could find that girl again if he went to Ninjago City. That could be pretty cool.

He had forgotten her name, but he knew she would probably like to see him again.

At least he hoped that she'd be happy to see him again.

He kept walking, his thoughts on escaping clear on his mind.

Lloyd was free. And soon he would never have to return to that stupid school.

...

"We have a call." Nya opened the door to the game room, seeing her team and her brother huddling around the TV, with Wu scolding them. Kai had a smug look on his face as if he wasn't a part of the problem at all. "It's from Jamanakai Village. Reports of Lord Garmadon."

"Garmadon?!" Jay screeched, standing up. The group only rolled their eyes at him, but the one not on the team only looked mildly amused. Wu had a look on his face like 'I told you so.'

"Let's go, then." Cole stood, pausing in thought. "Do you think it could just be a false alarm? I mean, it has been the last few times, I can go ahead and check it for Y'all-"

Red crossed her arms. "We aren't letting you go alone this time. We're coming with."

"Yeah! You're gonna leave us out of all the fun!" Blue huffed, helping White up, who nodded gratefully.

Cole narrowed his eyes and sighed. "Then we should start." The group ran outside, each of them, except for Kai and Wu, going to each of their dragons. In the process of getting on his own, Jay somehow threw himself off, faceplanting. He groaned, pushing himself up and getting back on.

As Nya hopped on her own dragon, Kai walked up beside her. "You be safe, alright?"

She smiled down at him, softly laughing. "What? Do you think I won't be? As Cole said, it could very well be a false alarm."

"What if it isn't? What if it  _is_ Garmadon?" Her brother sighed, grabbing on her hand as he spoke. "I'm supposed to be the one protecting  _you._ "

She was at a loss for words for a second. "But, Kai, now it's _my_ turn to protect  _you._  I'll be fine. If I'm not, I'll know you will be safe at least."

He looked at Wu for a moment before looking back at her with another sigh. "Alright..." He backed away. "I wish you luck." He smiled and stepped back over to their sensei. Nya frowned, noticing the change in Kai's tone. He usually wouldn't back away like that. With most of these missions, he wanted to go with.  _Odd..._ Wu must have said something to get him to not protest.

"Alright!" Cole yelled, rearing his dragon. "We ready?" The others all said their 'ready' and the leader nodded. "Let's go!" The earth dragon jumped, making its way into flight as it drew away. The other dragons followed, flying above the clouds. They had to make their way to Jamankai village. Yeah.

"Hey!" Jay shouted over the wind, his dragon near the middle of the group. "How about a race?" His eyes were shining, and before anyone could answer, he had already pulled ahead, weaving through clouds.

_Oh, he was on._

...

As Nya dipped to go through the clouds, she smirked silently at her chance to pull ahead of the others. She saw Jamankai village not too far ahead, and as she grew closer to landing, she realized the white flakes floating down around her. It was snowing. She was surprised to see an early winter and had almost forgotten it was even  _close_ to that time of year. She realized that even that her clock had forgotten about it due to training, Kai had probably forgotten about it as well, seeing that he was stuck on the mountain most of the time, not going on missions with them.

Nya landed Flamey, sighing. Kai had named him, saying that it was a great name in the first place and that he deserved being able to name it. She hopped off of the dragon, waiting for the others to land their own and join her.

Jay walked up beside her, looking at the city entrance. "Time to see if it's really Garmadon."

"I suggest we head in and check now instead of waiting." Zane stepped up beside them, Cole already walking up and through the entrance. The others had to dash ahead to catch up and they ducked behind a corner to get a silent view. Multiple people were screaming.

"Alright, we should split up and find out where the threat is." Cole whispered, wincing at a particularly loud screech.

"And if we find the threat?" Nya asked, pulling her mask over her face.

"We signal to the others. Maybe make a sound, but  _do not_ attract the threat's attention." The leader hissed, pulling on his own mask. The other two did the same and they were all off in different directions.

Nya found herself climbing the nearby building, scouting from the rooftops. She hoped she was the first to find the threat, as she could signal the easiest. She lept from the few roofs, making her way closer to the center of the small village. This way seemed to be the source of most of the problems. She came to a rolling stop at the end of the last roof, peering over the side at the fountain in the town square. The main road winded up around a wall, the spout of water blocking most of her limited view of that area.

She narrowed her eyes as she heard an echoing chuckle coming from the place she couldn't see. A tall shadow stretched across the rocks she could see, the laugh getting louder as it grew closer. She grabbed the Sword of Fire from its sheath on her back, lifting the blade to the sky. She shot a plume of fire into the air. Hopefully they would notice it and be ready. 

A heartbeat of silence until she saw a flash of blue light from the alleyway beside her.  _Jay._

The fountain froze over, the water stopping in mid-air.  _Zane._

A harder signal, a few rocks skidded across the ground, slightly floating for a moment before falling.  _Cole._

They sat, watching the shadow, the laugh becoming louder. Nya gripped the blade in her hand, trying to control her breathing.  _This could very well be Garmadon_. If it was, she would jump and attack, just like the others. But there was something awfully suspicious about it she couldn't-

She noticed Cole roll across the ground, vanishing behind the fountain. A child screamed. 

"Cole!" Jay yelled, forgetting his cover and running out behind him. She saw Zane sprint behind the blue ninja, prompting her to follow. She jumped down from the roof. Nya jumped as she followed, careful not to trip on the rocks. She rounded the corner to see Cole with a little boy slung over his shoulder. The boy was shouting, only to be ignored by the ninja who was holding him.

"Let me down! Let me down!" The child screeched, angry with his predicament. 

"Lloyd." Cole spoke, "You're going back, whether you like it or not. Demanding candy from townspeople isn't nice."

"Yeah!" 'Lloyd' huffed, "But I don't wanna be good. I wanna be evil. Like father!" The earth ninja stayed silent with no answer. 

"Cole, who is this kid?" Nya inquired, stepping in tune beside him. "How do you know him.?"

"Garmadon's son." He grumbled.

Zane was walking beside Nya, "I did not know that he had a son. Interesting thing to know, to say the least." He had stored away his shurikens already, having assessed the situation. "But now we know. Thankfully you already knew about him."

"How  _did_ you know about him though?" Jay tried, "Like, that's a really odd thing to know, and then to  _not_ tell us." The blue ninja stored his nunchucks on his back, a mischevous glint in his eyes as he approached the kid. "Hey buddy."

Lloyd glared at him then looked away. "I am  _not_ your buddy." He crossed his arms and sighed. "I'm nobody's buddy."

They walked in calm silence, even the little boy not saying anything, back to their dragons. "He's what most of the false alarms have been. I've been grabbing the phone and asking if its a boy with his description. I dunno why some people call him in as Garmadon, but it's something. Honestly, it's been pretty good so I can return him to his school. It's happened multiple times."

"No!" Lloyd wailed, "Don't take me back!" Garmadon's son began to squirm, wanting to go. "It's terrible there! I'll send snakes out on you!"

"So you just... Take him back? When he obviously wants to be away from the place." Nya pondered, squinting at the boy.

"Well... Yeah... That's what I've been doing..."

Lloyd screeched, loudly, startling Cole, who ended up releasing the boy for a second. That was his chance to escape, and Garmadon's son was running off into the city once more. He left with a triumphant shout, his makeshift cape blowing behind him.

"Damn." The earth elemental grumbled, "He's gone."

"I'll get him!" Jay yelled, running back into the city himself.

Nya covered her mouth, Zane stepping forward. "Do you think he will be able to catch the kid?" Cole shook his head. "Then I'll retrieve Jay." Zane was off.

The ninja of fire walked over to her dragon, opening her bag. "Huh. I don't ever remember this being in here." She pulled out a scroll, opening it up. "Yeah. This is  _not_ mine." She reached to put it back in, but Cole stopped her, grabbing it.

"Lemme see." He opened it, squinting his eyes at the words. "Can't understand it. Is that Sensei's bag?"

Nya blinked before peering back at the bag on her dragon. "Yeah... I must've grabbed it instead of mine when we were escaping. Whoops..."

Cole shrugged. "Well, there's nothing that important in it I guess."

"The scroll seems important..." She whispered, but a moment later, Jay and Zane were back. 

"What is that?" Jay asked, seeing the scroll in Nya's hands.

"It's a scroll, but it's not mine. It's Wu's." She replied.

He narrowed his eyes at it quietly. Zane stepped closer. "Wu's? Then why do you have it?"

"I must've grabbed the wrong bag in that rush..." Nya sighed, "I didn't mean to."

"What does it say?" Jay grabbed the scroll, opening it and looking at it. "I can't read it. It's basically chicken-scratch. Ugh."

Zane was peering over the lightning ninja's shoulder. "It is not chicken-scratch, Jay. It is the language of our ancestors." 

Nya looked at him with an odd look. "You can read  _that?"_

"Not fully, but I can at least try." He looked at it for a moment and then pointed at one of the groups of symbols. "That says 'Prophecy'."

"Prophecy?" Jay echoed.

"It means a prediction of the future, bud." Cole answered him.

Jay laughed nervously. "Yeah. Hah. Totally knew that."

Zane ignored their bit of conversation, pointing to the next group of symbols. "One ninja will rise above the others and become the Green Ninja, the ninja destined to defeat the Dark Lord."

The group grew silent. Nya hummed, "Dark Lord? Does that mean Garmadon? Like one of us are the Green Ninja and we're gonna defeat him? Because, there are pictures of our colors around the main one."

"I'd assume so," Cole spoke, "But which one of us would it be?"

...

Lloyd needed to get out of here.  _Fast_. That stupid ninja was  _not_ going to bring him back to Darkley's anymore. He snuck around the outside of the town to climb farther up the mountain. They wouldn't follow him into the winding hills and valleys. He found leeway in the rocks and climbed, the temperature dropping as he got higher. Snow had begun to fall, swirling around him. 

His fingers were beginning to numb, the rocks becoming harder to grasp as he climbed. The snow had begun to stick to his footholds, icing over and making him slip. He gasped silently, making him quicken his pace and barely make it to the snow covered cliff that led into a flat area of the mountains.

Lloyd stuck his hands in his pockets, a feeble attempt to keep them warm, and began his trek through the deep snow that laid over the rocks. As long as the ninja didn't follow him, he would be alright. All he had to do was hope. The wind had picked up and the snow was whipping into his face. He resisted the urge to take his hands out of his pocket to cover his face, a fear of them facing the same fate his face would have if he did. He tucked his face into his sweatshirt, his eyes peeking out.

He resolved to keep himself occupied by kicking a rock through the snow, the powder muffling the noise it made from hitting the ground below. He got a long way through it when the rock made a  _clang_ noise, as if hitting metal. He sped forward to where it had landed, forgetting about keeping his hands warm and more digging through the snow. At last, a metal trapdoor came into view, his only hope of  _something..._  

He fumbled for the small lever he uncovered, pulling it and triggering a chain reaction. It opened and he fell. 

Landing on ice, his arms barely supported him as he tried to get up. A choked sound came from his throat, his eyes beginning to burn with unshed tears. He was  _cold,_ and the fall  _hurt_. He slipped a few times as he stood, the ice not helping in the slightest. At least the biting wind was gone and the cave was at least  _somewhat_ warmer than out there.

"Well, well, well, looksss like we have a friend..." A voice echoed throughout the cavern, followed by hisses of laughter. "You ssseem to be far from home..."

"I uh-" Lloyd squeaked, shrinking back.

"You must he brave to ssstray ssso far from home, up here in the mountainsss..." A anacondrai slithered out of the shadows, and it seemed as if there were eyes from all over watching him, just  _waiting._ "I am Ssslithraa, leader of the Hypnobrai, and you will follow my every command..." His eyes began to swirl as he looked at Lloyd.

The boy only looked away. "No!"

"There are no objectionsss here." Slithraa lunged for him.

Lloyd slipped away in time, even if it was due to the ice catching him off-balance. "I am the son of Garmadon and  _you_ will follow  _my_ command!" 

"Ssson of Garmadon?" Slithraa growled, "Doesss that matter to usss?" There were hisses of approval from throughout the cavern, but there was one snake who walked out to speak with the leader.

"Ssslithraa, we may want to ussse him to our advantage..." They whispered, "Perhapsss Garmadon would want thisss boy."

"How do we know he iss the sson of Garmadon?"

"If he issn't, then we may do what we wissh of him. But, we could usse him as a token... And, it sseems as if he hass freed uss..."

Slithraa seemed to think on it for a moment. "Fine. Chain him. Keep him contained."

Soon, everything was black for Lloyd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you wish to speak with me, I am @noolanala on tumblr and i'd love to answer any questions about any of my aus or fics!! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after a bit of thought, s1 is going to go differently here than it did in the show ^^;

Nya tapped her foot on the ground as she watched Jay and Cole spar. Jay was quick, and he could maneuver around attacks quickly, sometimes being able to sneak around and get a back shot in. He was quick with many light blows, his attacks were a flurry. Cole, on the other hand was a slow yet strong attacker. If you were hit, you were down. It fit his element in strength, as it seemed he could stand up to anything and not fall. Some of his moves were almost  _mechanical._

She was calmly waiting for Zane to be ready to go up against her. Her eyes caught movement as the other walked in and beckoned her to an empty spot and waved. She grabbed a practice sword and stood opposite him. He was wielding two of the practice shurikens that hung on the wall by the main doors. He flung one up into the air, sending it spinning, and caught it. She got into a fighting stance, her blade poised and ready to go.

And in seconds, they had begun. He threw himself in, using a shuriken to deflect her sword, then kicked her. Stumbling back, she narrowed her eyes at him. Zane was a force to be reckoned with. He was cold and calculating, and at some points it was almost as if he could predict her next attack. He could be scary at times. She only ran back in and tried for another hit.

It was then she remembered their Sensei's scroll, reading about the  _Green Ninja,_ and how they would be the one to defeat Garmadon, and for a brief moment, she wondered maybe if she could be the one fated to wear green. It distracted her enough for Zane to knock her backwards and pin her down with his foot. He had won.

"Damn..." Nya hissed, looking up at him. 

"Caught you at a bad time?" Zane smirked, sliding his foot off her and placing it down on the ground.

She sat up with a groan. "Yep."

After glancing over at Cole and Jay, who were still sparring, Zane hummed and sat down by her. "What's on your mind?"

"Uhm..." Zane also had an incredible sense of emotions and thoughts and could very well tell when something was on your mind. He undoubtedly knew something was up, as Nya barely ever let her guard down like that.

"Hm?"

"I was just thinking about the scroll. About the Green Ninja? What if it's one of us? Who would it be? Would it tear us apart?" Nya spoke slowly, "What if-"

Zane chuckled, "I doubt it'll tear us apart. I don't doubt that there will be tensions between any of us, but we should stay together. I, for one, will be happy for whoever is the fated one. Even if it does make me a little jealous."

Nya nodded slowly, pulling her hair out of her ponytail. She watched Cole finally pin down Jay, the latter getting faster and more precise every day. Jay wasn't strong enough to pin Cole down most of the time, so their battles often were just to see how long he could survive, and maybe, just  _maybe_ to see if he could knock the other down.

Jay stood up with a grin and scrambled over to Zane and Nya, Cole close behind. His smile was wide and he looked excited. "Did you  _see_ how fast I was that time?" 

"Yeah, it took a while for me to catch ya." Cole chuckled as he came up to them. "Still got ya though."

"I almost knocked you over a few times!"

" _Almost_ being the key word."

Jay huffed and stuck his tongue out. He looked back to Nya with a smile. "Do you know where Kai is?"

Nya stifled a small laugh, her brother probably wouldn't be swayed  _that_ easily. "He's probably with Wu at the moment."

"Thanks." He rubbed the back of his neck and dashed off.

Cole hummed. "Zane, do you wanna go a round?"

The ninja of ice nodded.

...

Lloyd woke up to murmurs coming from around him. The freezing feeling from earlier when he was on top of the mountain was mostly gone, a small chill only present. He tried to move his arms, but his wrists were chained up and and attached to the wall. He panicked, attempting to stand, but slipping and falling in the process. "Help!" He yelled, no other solution seeming to be there. More murmurs erupted, seeming to come from the walls themselves. "Help! Please!"

Red eyes glowed in the shadows in front of him. "Seemss as if our prisoner hass awoken..." Hisses of approval rang out around him but stopped when the same voice ordered them to leave. The feeling of a presence left slowly, except for the red eyes staring at him.

"W-who are you?" Lloyd stammered out, the chains rubbing against his wrists as he tried to stumble backwards and away.

"A friend... You ssee, I have red eyess just like you..." The eyes blinked, Lloyd doing the same slowly. "So there is no need to be afraid..."

"If you want me to believe that, why am I your prisoner?!" Lloyd screeched.

"Fine, fine. I'll let you free. Under the condition that you do not run from me."

"Uh- okay..." Out of the shadows walked a snake, the one from earlier that had convinced the leader not to hypnotize him. Lloyd paused, biting his lip. "What's your name?"

The snake tilted its head and shook its head almost as in amusement. "I guesss you wouldn't know. My name is Sskales, of the Hypnobrai tribe."

"Hyp-hypnobrai? You mean you're a- A Serpentine?"

"Yes, I supposse so... And you must be a human. Son of Lord Garmadon, as you said." Skales reached out and unlocked the cuffs.

"Yeah. I'm Lloyd Garmadon..." Lloyd rubbed his wrists, sighing. He stood slowly, making sure he wasn't going to slip on the ice. "Why are you setting me free?"

"Same reason as why I saved you from being hypnotized."

"And why?"

"I'm allowed to have my secrets, aren't I?" Skales hissed, "But I guess I could make an exception as you  _are_ a part of my plan..."

"Plan?"

...

Lloyd looked back at Skales as he was pushed out back into the snow. " _Go._ " The Hypnobrai whispered, "You must use the map to find the rest of the snakes. Free them as you freed us."

"I-" He whispered, shivering at the chill of the wind and then at the map rolled up in his hand. "What about you?"

"I will challenge Slithraa to the ssslither pit so I can gain the possition of General. You know what you are suppossed to do. Now  _go._ " Skales hissed, "Go before they know I sset you free. The Fangpyre have the tomb closest to here. Go." He slipped down the trap door, it staying open. It was warmer in there than out here, but Lloyd didn't want to go back. Who knows what they would have done to him if Skales hadn't released him.

Lloyd began to trudge through the snow, the first point clear on the map. A graveyard. He could free them and  _run._ What would Skales even do to him if he didn't set them all free? What even was his plan? The freezing wind was in his face and he had to resort to sticking his face in his jacket again. He put the map in his pocket and beelined for his destination.

An echoing voice reached his ears. "Remember your remittance!"

As if he would forget the  _other_ reason he was doing this.

...

Nya sighed as she watched Cole and Zane spar. She could go find Kai, but Jay was probably with him and that would probably be awkward. She pushed her hair out of her face and behind her ear. She would have to do something about it soon before it got too long. 

The sound of the door sliding open alerted her to the presence of Wu. She stood and walked over to him, picking up the bag she had accidentally grabbed. She handed it to him, a shy smile on her face. "Uh, I grabbed your bag instead of mine in the rush earlier, I'm sorry."

Wu hummed, taking it from her. "Thank you for owning up to me about your mistake." He smiled, then grew slient. "Did you look at anything in it?"

"I, uh- Yeah. I was thinking I had accidentally pack one of my study scrolls earlier and I went to check it. It wasn't. Zane ended up translating it for us..." She rubbed her arm in nervousness. "I'm sorry."

"You weren't supposed to see this, Nya."

"I'm sorry."

"So now the whole team knows of the prophecy?"

"Yes, sorry. I never meant to reveal any secrets..."

"Even if one of you become the Green Ninja, I do not want you to split up. You must work together no matter what."

Nya nodded silently. 

"Now, would you go fetch Jay for me? I must speak to you all now."

...

Slithraa stood by the pillar that had been what the son of Garmadon was chained to. He hissed at the snakes around him who were blaming him for the boy's release. "Why am I the one at fault?"

Many answers were given, most of them saying he released Lloyd, and that the boy may have been a token to getting control of Ninjago.

Skales stepped out, glaring at Slithraa. "General, I have sseen no trace of the boy. The ssstorm has covered up any trackss of him. He is gone."

"How did he esscape?!"

"You were the lasst one here, General. They all think you sset him free. And, I'd assume that too. Why?"

"I didn't let him free!"

"Then, let's take a look at something else. What happened to the map?"

"I haven't touched it!"

"I found these in the room where it is held. The map was gone." Skales held his hand out, seared flecks of paper floating to the ground. "The only thing that could do this in thiss entire cave sysstem is the venom of the sstaff.  _That you hold."_

"That wassn't me either.!"

"Here, let's gauge the thoughtss of your tribe, eh?" Skales growled, earning hisses of approval from around them. He grabbed the staff from Slithraa.

It was from the back that the first yell of "Slither Pit!" was heard.

...

"I hear you have seen my scroll." Wu spoke, "As I told Nya, no matter who ends up being the Green Ninja, I need you all to work together and remain a team."

"So who will be the green ninja?" Jay piped up, earning a slap to the back of the head from Zane. "I mean, how will we know?" Zane rolled his eyes.

"We do not know, but it will be a long and winding road for all of you. In order for me to know, you must unlock your True Potential. But that in itself is a long leap." Wu answered, "There may even be a chance that it  _isn't_ one of you. In that case, you will still support the chosen one. Is that clear?" The ninja all nodded. "Good. Now, I want all of you to get back to training." Wu spun on his heel and opened the door.

"Could it help us in the path of unlocking our True Potential?" Zane asked, stopping him.

For a few heartbeats, Wu was silent. When he spoke up, it seemed like he was hiding something. "Perhaps, but you won't know if you don't try. It will not be just training." Their master walked back into the building, leaving the team in the training grounds.

Cole was the first one to speak up. "Nya, I'd suggest I spar with you first."

She nodded wordlessly, moving to pick up her training sword once more. She looked to the sky and then to her opponent, thoughts rampant in her head, all about her future as a part of the ninja.

...

There may have been a possibility that Kai had been eavesdropping. Wait. Who was he kidding? He  _was_ eavesdropping. He had listened to the whole conversation from behind the door. He had slipped out of the way right as Wu had opened the door to return and hidden himself. He had been absolutely silent when the older man had walked by so he wouldn't be discovered.

Kai had been wondering why Nya had taken Jay away to speak with Wu so suddenly. The other boy had been standing there flirting with him, so, he did what suited his curiosity best. He followed them as they walked out. Staying in the building, he heard the whole conversation.

So there was something called the Green Ninja? Destined to defeat the Dark Lord? And there was a chance that it wasn't one of the team... 

 _He_ could be the Green Ninja.

So, nightly, when everyone was asleep, he pushed himself to train. He would reach his true potential before any of them and prove that he could be the Green Ninja.

He may not be an elemental master like his sister, but he could be stronger.

...

"We have a winner!" A Hypnobrai hissed, holding up the new General's hand.

Skales laughed, gaining the markings and tail of a General. Slithraa was reduced to a regular soldier, disappearing into the crowd.

"General, what shall we do now?"

"The rest of the serpentine are being released as we speak. We must announce our return to Ninjago."

"How?"

"We start with an attack on the little town by this mountain. Jamankai Village."

...

Lloyd was shaking, the map crinkling in his hands. The fog swirled around him as he grew closer to the location of the tomb. He needed to do this. He needed to do this for his father.

He stepped through the gate that was moving on its own a  _little_ too much for his liking. He weaved around the tombstones, each of them a little more eerie than the last. He tripped over one, the map flittering out of his hands and being carried by the breeze.

"No!" Lloyd screeched, stumbling forward. He failed as he tried to grap for it, his attempts futile.

The breeze pushed the map further away. It got caught on a large stone, almost too high for Lloyd to reach. He collected it, looking at it and then the stone.

_This was the place._

He searched for the lever, pulling it. The trap door opened, revealing a ladder. He peered down it with a scared expression, hoping he wouldn't have to go down.

A snake lept up from the hole, scaring Lloyd. It was red and had two heads. It stood there for a moment, swinging its heads around. "Who sset us free...?" Each head took turns talking.

"I-I did sir. I'm Lloyd- Lloyd Garmadon."

The snake looked at him quizzically, "Fangtom... What do you want with uss?"

"I was sent by- by S-Scales of the Hyp-Hypobrai." Lloyd shied back, opening the map for Fangtom to see. "He wants you to go t-there..." He pointed at an X that Scales had drawn on the map.

"Hm... Well then. Come, my tribe!" More Fangpyre slithered out. "Although we must see what the Hypnobrai want, we must first collect something!"

Lloyd had never run faster before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honey, youve got a big storm coming


End file.
